Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed using a poison developed from a dart frog toxin, the UK and European allies have said, BBC reported.
Two years on from the death of Navalny at a Siberian penal colony, Britain and its allies have blamed the Kremlin following analysis of material samples found on his body.
Speaking from the Munich Security Conference, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said "only the Russian government had the means, motive and opportunity" to use the poison while Navalny was imprisoned in Russia, according to BBC.
Japan says it seized Chinese vessel amid tensions with Beijing
Japanese authorities say they have seized a Chinese fishing vessel that tried to flee when ordered to stop for an inspection, in a move that may further fuel tensions with Beijing, BBC reported.
The boat was in Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture in the south-west when it was intercepted and its captain arrested on Thursday, according to the country's fisheries agency.
"The vessel's captain was ordered to stop for an inspection by a fisheries inspector, but the vessel failed to comply and fled," the fisheries agency said, according to BBC.
Bangladesh's BNP wins big in historic parliamentary election
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a landslide parliamentary election on Friday, local TV stations showed, securing a resounding mandate in a pivotal vote that is expected to restore political stability in the South Asian nation, Reuters reported.
The parliamentary election held on Thursday was Bangladesh's first vote since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that toppled long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina.
A clear outcome had been seen as crucial for stabilityin the Muslim-majority country of 175 million after months of deadly anti-Hasina unrest disrupted everyday life and hit major industries, including the apparel sector in the world's second-largest garment exporter, according to Reuters.
US, Taiwan finalize deal to cut tariffs, boost purchases of US goods
Trump administration officials signed a final reciprocal trade agreement that confirmed a 15% U.S. tariff rate for imports from Taiwan, while committing Taiwan to a schedule for eliminating or lowering tariffs on nearly all U.S. goods, Reuters reported.
The document released by the U.S. Trade Representative's office on Thursday also commits Taiwan to significantly boost purchases of U.S. goods from 2025 through 2029, including $44.4 billion of liquefied natural gas and crude oil, $15.2 billion of civil aircraft and engines, $25.2 billion of power grid equipment and generators, marine and steelmaking equipment.
The agreement adds technical language, opens new tab and specific details to a trade framework deal first reached in January that cut tariffs on Taiwanese goods, including from its powerhouse semiconductor industries, to 15% from the 20% initially imposed by Trump. That puts Taiwan on an equal footing with its closest Asian export competitors, South Korea and Japan, according to Reuters.
